“Importantly, this will be done in a way that makes the hours accessible and affordable for all families that need them. That’s why the government is taking action to tackle reported instances of parents facing very high additional charges on top of the funded entitlement hours.
These could include mandatory extra charges for nappies, lunch or other ‘consumables’ – and should not be made a condition of accessing a funded place.
In the coming months, the government will be engaging with local authorities and providers to clarify our statutory guidance on charging, including on so-called ‘top up fees’ and consider how we better support local authorities to protect parents from overcharging.”
I think it’s v complicated to fund places below the cost of providing the place, and then come down hard on nurseries trying to recoup the costs of that.
Locally to me, some nurseries are already just not offering the extra hours.